Handicap Accessible Information
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION
The cavern tours and the farm-nature-wildlife tours are rated as physically challenging and neither of these tours are rated as being handicapped accessible.
The cave itself is a natural attraction that is not handicapped accessible and can be very physically challenging/physically strenuous. There is a 350 foot, 45 degree incline followed by 48 steps that all visitors must descend to reach and board the boat, and then come back up after the cavern tour. Cavern boats are flat bottom boats with bench seating; the aisleway of the boat must remain clear so that our guides are able to safely walk from the front of the boat to the back of the boat. The cavern tour is given entirely by boat and all of our guests must also be able to step from the dock onto the boat, and immediately go down 3 steps into the flat bottom portion of the boat. Our guests must remain seated on the boat for the entire tour, and, depending upon which side of the boat they are seated on, may have to bend over at certain points in the cavern (e.g., the Straight of Gibraltar). Because of the steep incline and safety issues related to that incline, we are strictly prohibited from allowing wheelchairs, scooters, walkers and/or other similar type of walking assist type aids beyond the visitor’s center building. However, we do allow our visitors to use a single cane or walking stick to go down to the cave entrance.
The Farm-Nature-Wildlife tour is a semi-off-road tour that is not handicap accessible and can be physically challenging/physically strenuous. The Farm-Nature-Wildlife tour is approximately 60 minutes long and takes our visitors through the Penn’s Cave farm grazing pastures, mountain and forest areas which have been preserved as natural habitats for birds and other animals. This bus features bench style seating and will travel up and down steep hills at times; the ride is bumpy at times as the bus does travel unpaved mountainous roads that have uneven gravel and shale surfaces. Depending upon the bus in service, there will be three or four steps that must be used to both enter and exit the bus. We do allow our visitors to use a single cane or walking stick to board/depart the buses. There is one stop where our visitors may depart from the bus to view some of the animals, but otherwise our visitors must remain seated at all times while the bus is moving.
Our visitors center is handicapped accessible and includes a gift shop and café. The area immediately around the visitors center and leading to the visitors center is paved, and the visitor center porches on the north and south side are comprised of concrete (in the front) and pavers (in the back). The visitors center floor is tiled. There are flat, commercial grade throw rugs by each of the main doors for safety during rainy days, etc. Wheelchairs, scooters, walkers and/or other similar type of walking assist type aids may be used in these areas.
There is no charge for parking at our attraction. The parking area immediately around the historic Penn’s Cave Hotel is paved, and there are handicapped parking spaces by the side of the Hotel. There is additional parking space available on the grounds that is comprised of a combination of grass and/or gravel/stone.
While we have indoor accessible restrooms within the visitors center, our newer, larger restrooms are located in an unattached building to the east side of the visitors center – many using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers and/or other similar aids find these larger accessible restrooms easier to use.
